IF not the beach, then Baguio.
Luzon and National Capital Region (NCR) tourists want more nature in their lives, a recent survey reveals.
EON Trust Central, in partnership with the market research firm Tangere, conducted a study titled ” Zooming in on the Filipino Traveler,” which surveyed respondents on their thoughts on travel during the pandemic.
According to the results of the study, which covered a nationally representative sample of 5,000 Tangere app users, mostly females aged 24 to 60 years old who come from the lower middle to low-income classes, 73 percent want to visit the beach, followed by going on food trips and road trips.
Even with the majority preference for coastal travel, Baguio was cited as one of the top tourist destinations respondents wanted to visit once travel restrictions eased, along with Palawan and Boracay.
However, about less than a third (30 percent) of surveyed respondents continues to be hesitant to travel even with the Department of Tourism health and safety rules implemented in many local tourist hotspots.
“The Filipinos’ hesitancy to travel amid the pandemic is an expression of our understanding that we need to take care of each other — that until everyone is fully vaccinated, none of us is truly safe from contracting the virus,” Junie Del Mundo, chief executive of The EON Group, said.
The survey also revealed that the requirement of swab testing both before and after travel is a top pain point stopping many travelers from going to tourist destinations.
Other concerns cited by the respondents include vaccine efficacy doubts and unclear travel protocols.
